In the Midst of Flaws
by mpw09
Summary: Qrow didn't make it in time. When he arrived at the scene, Yang was bawling over Ruby, who was hanging on to life by only a thread. After she awoke from her long rest, Ruby was different. She had seen something, and was changed for it. Slight AU.
1. Chapter 1

Salutations! This here is the prologue for a story idea that just wouldn't leave me alone after I re-watched KnK about five months ago or so. That, combined with my anticipation for RWBY volume 5 (October can't come soon enough!) forced me to create this thing. It'll likely have infrequent updates, considering I have another story that I'd like to make my priority.

To all of you who just want me to write more chapters for Something Synthetic, I'm sorry. This idea just germinated in my head and I haven't been able to rid myself of it. I won't abandon that story, and it's still going to be my priority. Updates, however, may be a little bit slower. Then again, I really was writing too fast anyway.

The quality for this chapter kind of tapers off toward the end, mostly because it's midnight. I'm tired and want to be done with this thing. It took forever to write the first part because I rewrote so many sentences.

Note that this is a slight AU. Since not all ages an backstories of characters have been confirmed by the creators of RWBY. I have to guess age based on appearances alone, and, in anime-style shows, that's pretty hard to do. On the other hand, I have the freedom to mess around with some characters' backstories.

Anyway, hope you enjoy this prologue, and please review to let me know if I should continue this!

 **Disclaimer: I own neither RWBY or Kara no Kyoukai. They belong to Rooster Teeth and Type-Moon, respectively.**

* * *

 _Haaah...haaah!_ Ruby Rose ran. Fallen leaves of a myriad of different colors crunched beneath her feet. The strong wind blowing her forward provided her extra speed that her short, stubby legs refused to put out. She kept her eyes trained forward despite the lack of light, desperately avoiding any obstacles once they were illuminated by the shattered moon's ethereal light.

Inevitably, her cloak, which was massive compared to her diminutive frame, snagged on a low-hanging branch. She pulled, twisted and tugged, but couldn't remove it from the tree on which it was anchored. She pleaded for the moon's glow to irradiate the arm on which her precious cloak was affixed, but her prayers went unanswered.

She felt as if she were tearing out a part of herself when she unclasped the red mantle from around her neck, but she knew she was given no choice. In but a short time, Ruby had come to know what a cruel world Remnant was; since the moment she awoke, it seemed to be taking her apart piece by piece.

Ruby began sprinting once again, never looking back at that which had once been precious to her. She willed her little legs to move despite the hot lava she swore had found it's way into her weary muscles. She couldn't afford to stop now, of that she was certain. She had to continue forward, though both her mind and body had been pushed beyond their limits. Any other seven year old's body would have given out long ago. Especially if they had been in the middle of rehab when they decided to abscond. Not that Ruby had much of decision.

Had everything proceeded the way she wished it to, she would've talked Yang out of their little excursion to find her mother. Had she succeeded in that one negotiation, her Uncle Qrow would be teaching her the basics of scythe-wielding, the guidance which she asked for many times, even at the fledgling age of five.

In lieu of beginning her training, she was running. Escaping from the many things which were chasing her down. She didn't desire to be caught by a single one of them. Whichever pursuer caught her didn't matter; the fates she would suffer may vary, but they were not all too dissimilar. Every conclusion would be dreadfully undesirable.

Ruby, despite her stunted mental growth, which massively affected her comprehension, knew as much. It was an unconventional experience for her to consider both Humans and the Grimm as equal threats. Despite herself, she found she began to unconsciously dehumanize her pursuers, categorizing them all as simply something to avoid. In a way, she considered, being caught by the humans was a more frightening prospect than merely being eaten alive by the Grimm where she stood.

To the Grimm, she was nothing more than troublesome prey. To the humans, she was a dreadful monster who had broken a very core taboo. That it was accidental mattered to no one.

Ruby knew the psychological effect of running through the seemingly endless forest was taking its toll. Every step seemed to set her back two paces, eliciting wails of protest from her calves. Dehydration and mental exhaustion called forth realistic illusions of black beasts and furious family. Her eyes perceived the flaws in the hallucinations immediately, yet many forced her muscles to tense.

For how long had she been running through the forest? A glance at the shattered moon allowed her an idea. It had passed its zenith long ago; morning would come soon. Toward that thought she felt both joy and fear, mostly the latter.

Once night turned to day, the amount of visible obstacles would increase, allowing her to traverse the dense forest almost effortlessly. The quicker she moved, the sooner she escaped from the trees which trapped her. Conversely, she also would become an easy target for the pursuers. Ruby hoped they might be stalled by the cloak she regrettably left behind, but wasn't naive enough to believe it would hold them for long. At least the gigantic red target painted on her back was removed.

Beside the fact she could be much too easily spotted in the daylight, another problem plagued her. Namely, the Faults lost their ethereal glow in the sun. Tracing the lines would become much more difficult.

In any typically situation, Ruby was sure she would be repulsed by that thought. To trace the Faults was to erase a concept from existence. Despite that, she knew she would have no hesitation if her hand was forced into action. She could only hope her family was not among her numerous followers. They were among the few she would not cut.

She refused to trace along their flaws, even if they thought of her as some sort of abomination, even if they now saw her as less than human.

She loved them. She could never hate any of her relatives, even Yang, despite what her older sister caused. If Yang were to come forth, Ruby would bare her throat.

In a sense, Ruby could empathize with them. When she laid her silver eyes upon the faults of existence, she was disgusted. To look at the flaws of everything existing threatened to drive her mad. For the first few minutes after awakening, she screamed until her throat only produced a weak groan.

Yet, as days passed, she grew accustomed to the cold feeling of Death. She had no way to avert her eyes; the smallest existence still had faults. Even concepts had faults. Wherever she looked, her eyes would find flaws, and would naturally focus upon them. Many times she tried closing her eyelids, but to no avail; even if she was unable to perceive her environment, the lines made themselves known to her. They weren't natural, and certainly didn't abide by normal rules.

A morbid thought entered her head as she continued to run; she could literally kill a man, with no effort, while her eyes were closed.

It wouldn't even be the first time.

It wasn't her fault, she told herself. She was curious, that's all. That was all it took for her to reduce the concept of longevity to nothing. That was all it took to end an existence.

He was kind, she remembered. She didn't even remember his name, but she could recall that he wasn't an actual caretaker, but an intern. He was smiling at her as he helped her out of her wheelchair. He encouraged her as she ran across the room to him. He caught her as she fell after she tripped over an abandoned water bottle, before she hit the floor.

Then, she saw Nothingness. She had no idea what the outcome would be. She didn't question the existence of the lines beyond thinking of them as simple hallucinations caused by head trauma. She accepted the doctor's explanation without second thought.

She traced along a Fault line with her index finger, and his life was cut short.

Ruby shook her head to free her head of unsavory thoughts. She couldn't afford the luxury of thinking, lest she tire herself out before reaching safety. Mental energy was no less important the physical endurance.

In the distance, she spotted a wide clearing. As much as she desired to rest her weakened legs, she knew she couldn't afford to stop. Something would catch up to her eventually, be it Human or Grimm.

A Beowolf's roar gave her an incentive to hurry forward, but, try as she might, her legs stubbornly refused to increase in speed. She quickly glanced over her shoulder to gauge the distance she had on the monster, only to find its glowing crimson eyes less than fifty feet away, and gaining fast. Her fear spiked and the Creature of Grimm sprinted faster.

She didn't have enough time to escape the forest; she would be resting peacefully in the Beowolf's stomach before she reached any sort of civilization.

Desperately, she asked herself a question. Could she kill it? She had no weapon, but she did have her Semblance, and her eyes were far deadlier than any blade. She only needed to lift a finger to kill anything.

She stared at the beast behind her, taking in its flaws. One line, she realized, would be enough to kill the Beowolf. Unbeknownst to Ruby, a predatory smile graced her features.

She needed to trace along the glowing line running diagonally across the left side of its chest. How ironic, she thought, that it would have its Fault there, of all places. She was pretty sure Grimm didn't actually have hearts.

The Grimm, now only less than ten feet from her position, lunged on all fours at her, despite being bipedal. Ruby, seeing her chance, instructed her legs to emit a burst of force to send her under its lunge, so she could trace the Fault.

There was only one problem...her legs disobeyed her command.

She made the mistake of standing still in one place for too long. She collapsed the the ground, devoid of all energy. Her eyes widened in fear and time seemed to slow down as the monster grew closer. She stared into its eyes, centimeters from her own.

It was reminiscent of that night, when Yang took her into the forest. Only this time, she wouldn't come back after a two year rest.

No, she couldn't die just yet. She just got her life back again!

Ruby extended her hand, desperately trying to trace its line before its claws pierced her chest.

She was too young; her arms were too short. She couldn't reach.

The Beowolf disintegrated nonetheless.

How? Ruby couldn't do anything but stare at where the beast once stood, claws primed and ready to rip her heart out of her chest.

In her peripheral vision, she noticed a pair of black boots. Her gaze traveled upward, taking in the appearance of a deep red dress that ended at her mid-thigh. Her eyes continued upward until she met with the other party's own eyes, set beneath a full head of deep black hair.

Terrified rings of blue and pink met with indifferent orbs of amber.

* * *

And, as interesting as those eyes were, the sixteen year old didn't have the time to waste on babysitting a child. She was here to complete an extermination contract and was fairly certain there was no mention of a pathetic, dirty-looking, seven year old kid. Perhaps she should've read the fine print to be sure?

Nevertheless, it wasn't her problem. She removed her intense gaze from those mystifying rings and turned to leave.

Ruby, watching her only escape route leave her behind, desperately called out. "W-wait!" The other girl paid her no heed and continued to walk further way. "P-please, stop!" Ruby's calls went unanswered. Ruby, growing frustrated, balled her tiny fists and added a hint of anger into her voice. "You can't leave me here alone!"

The black haired girl paused. "And why, exactly, can't I?" She turned her body slowly to face the smaller girl, meeting her glare with apathy.

"I'm a child!" The ravenette looked unimpressed. Ruby noticed, and her desperation increased in strength. "I'm being chased! If you leave me here, I'll die!" Ruby knew her only choice was to appeal to the other's conscious. No one would possibly be able to leave a child to meet a gruesome end.

Unfortunately for her, the sixteen year old remained unfazed. "May you rest in peace," she drawled sarcastically, before she began to return from whence she came.

Ruby couldn't let her leave. She had no energy left; if the other girl left without her, she had no doubt she would be captured. Her thoughts wandered to possible scenarios.

If she were to be captured, what would happen to her. It was possible that she was simply eaten by the Grimm, which, in all honesty, didn't sound as bad as the alternatives. If she were to be caught by the Huntsmen, nothing but agony would await her. Perhaps she would be sent to some sort of high security prison. Maybe they would end it quickly and peacefully. There was a chance that they would tear her eyes from her skull, whether to try to gain her abilities or to stop her from using them.

She couldn't let the girl escape without her. She felt a blazing heat spring to life in her two eyes, contrary to the cold feeling of calmness that enveloped everywhere else. Her heart slowed down and her thoughts became clearer than ever before.

"If you take another step," Ruby warned, her voice ice cold, "I'll kill your Aura."

Despite the distance between the two, and the small girl's quiet tone of voice, she heard her voice clearly, and it sent shivers up her spine. The ravenette halted mid-step. Once again, she swiveled to face the pathetic girl. However, in her place, she came face to face with a monster. When she gazed into those brightly lit blue and pink rings, a cold chill enveloped her. Still, she wasn't a solo Huntress at the young age of sixteen for nothing.

She calmly addressed the child before her eyes. "Kill my Aura, you say? I didn't know that Aura was something that _could_ be...killed. It would have to be alive for you to do that."

"I can kill _anything."_ The girl spoke with such confidence that the ravenette couldn't help but believe her absurd claim.

A disturbing thought wormed its way into her head. Was that her Semblance? To kill literally _anything?_ If so, then the child in front of her was far more frightening than any official Huntsman or even the oldest Creatures of Grimm.

"If you hand me something, I'll demonstrate for you," the tiny girl offered. The offer was tempting, and she certainly _was_ curious to see if her outrageous claim was actually provable. She reached under her dress and extracted her backup hunting knife from its place within the sheathe strapped to her thigh.

"Here, show me your ability with this." She handed the knife to the young girl, who gingerly accepted it. The ravenette watched in fascination as a stubby finger began to trace an invisible line along her knife. Her eyes never left the fingernail as it dragged vertically across the center of the blade.

Her eyes widened with wonder when she saw that a short fingernail had managed to slice through her knife as if it was made of butter.

"I can kill more than just physical things," the ravenette's eyes snapped back to those haunting orbs when the girl began to speak. "I can kill concepts, too. I can kill your _soul._ "

Her soul could be wiped from existence, and all it would take was for the girl to trace an invisible line somewhere on her body. This, she understood well.

 _'I'll bet the pursuers she was referring to were humans, not Grimm. With her Semblance, it wouldn't be a surprise.'_ she realized.

Now, she had to answer the million Lien question. What would she do with this girl? With this monster?

Normally, she would have no problem leaving her to die. Others left her to die, so why shouldn't she leave everyone else to perish?

There was just one problem with that. The girl had captured her interest. Were she to leave the girl to face her fate, she would never be able to satisfy her curiosity.

But, more than anything else, there was once incentive to keep the girl by her side. Namely, the girl had _power._

Yes, she had already decided on a course of action. She looked down to find that pink and blue had died down to a quiet silver. Were her odd eyes some sort of side effect of using her Semblance, then? A question to ponder for later.

She smiled down at the child. "My name is Cinder Fall, an unofficial Huntress trying to complete requests to make a living. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Ruby returned her smile with a relieved one of her own. "I'm Ruby Rose, and I see all flaws of reality. Thank you for saving me."


	2. Chapter 2

Salutations!

I've been writing a little each day for my other story, but it's all coming together really slowly. This, on the other hand, is really easy to write for, because I can actually allow Ruby to be somewhat normal. At least, she's normal when you compare the two.

Anyway, I might get a chapter for that out tomorrow, or maybe the day after.

As for this chapter, not much happens. Some important details are dropped here and there, but it's mostly a SOL chapter.

Hope you enjoy this anyway!

 **Disclaimer: I own neither RWBY nor Kara no Kyoukai. They belong to Rooster Teeth and TYPE-MOON, respectively.**

* * *

Shortly after dawn broke, Ruby found herself at the footsteps to what looked like an abandoned building. The two four-pane windows overlooking the street looked like they had been shattered by a thrown stone or some other heavy object. The brick walls were covered in rather...obscene graffiti, though there was evidence of someone trying to wash the indecent vandalism away.

Cinder fished out a bronze key, opened the door and beckoned for the child to follow, which Ruby did energetically.

The inside was a stark contrast from the exterior. Ruby looked around the small abode with no small amount of surprise at the lack of dirt and other generally poor conditions. The furniture, an old grey sofa, two wooden chairs, and an old wooden table, looked rather nice for the presumed quality of the materials from which they were built.

Cinder let a small smirk slip upon seeing Ruby's reaction. There were many things she hated, but uncleanliness was high up on the list. She didn't have much, but she took good care of her own possessions. Her financial status was what had led her to develop her little possessive streak.

Ruby, still allowing her gaze to wander across the room, stopped when she noticed something extremely out of place. An old wooden grandfather clock stood with its back against the east wall of the room. Ruby found herself getting lost in the exquisite craftsmanship for some time. It didn't look like something that belonged in the room. "Hey, Ms. Fall, that clock there...it looks really expensive. Why's it in here?"

Cinder found herself feeling rather playful, perhaps a side effect of the girl's infectious attitude. "My, are you saying that something so expensive doesn't fit this little rundown home of mine?" she feigned an expression of mock-hurt.

Ruby's face went paler than a sheet. "Nononono! I didn't mean for it to sound like-" she cut herself off when she heard a soft giggle coming from the ravenette. Ruby realized she was being played. "That's mean, Ms. Fall! Geez..."

"Well, it isn't too far from the truth, is it?" Ruby's face reddened with shame; she was thinking the same thing. "As for the antique clock over there, it was a reward for completing a particularly difficult contract. To this day, it's the most valuable thing I've ever had." Cinder smiled as she finished her explanation, admiring the clock herself. No matter how long she stared, she always felt a sense of pride upon seeing the fruit of her labors.

"What kind of contract?" Ruby inquired curiously.

"What was supposed to be a few Beowolves turned out to be a whole pack, complete with an Alpha. Needless to say, I demanded suitable compensation. I was only fourteen at the time, and had almost lost an eye due to my inexperience." Horrified comprehension dawned on the Rose's face.

"You were killing Grimm when you were fourteen years old?" she asked in disbelief.

"I began my little career at thirteen, to be precise." Ruby's expression wavered between awe and sympathy. "I was horrible at the time, however." Cinder's eyes glazed over as she reminisced. Her skill truly was terrible. It had taken years of practice to achieve the level of skill she displayed now.

"Why don't you take your time to get comfortable while I go cook some dinner? I don't assume you've eaten recently." At a large growl from Ruby's small stomach, and an enthusiastic nod from the girl herself, Cinder smiled and went into the kitchen.

* * *

"Shoooooo," Ruby gasped out between bites of food, "'ou shedd 'ou er shome kinda Huntresh?" Cinder grimaced as the child spewed out food chunks all over her cheeks. Had she never been taught what manners were?

"Yes, I did say that," Cinder managed patiently, her right hand cleaning off the chunks of chewed food with a dirty rag. _Patience,_ she told herself, ' _she's just a child.'_ "Although, I was never given an official license. And please swallow your food before you speak, Ruby."

Ruby swallowed quickly and rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. "Ahaha, I'm really sorry about that," she apologized. Cinder noticed how she had to physically restrain her right hand. "It's just...I've only really been allowed to eat hospital food for a while now, and this tastes really good!" she exclaimed. Cinder found the corner of her lips twitching upward slightly at Ruby's adorable show of restraint. However, she soon picked up on the contents of the little girl's words and creased her brow.

"You were recently hospitalized?" she questioned. "What for?" Cinder pondered this new information. Obviously, the girl had been running away when she crossed her path, but from what? Was it something simple, like a fear of the doctor, or something much deeper seated? She needed more to work with.

Loss flickered within silver eyes for a moment, but was soon lost. If she had blinked, or diverted her attention elsewhere for but a moment, Cinder would have missed it. "Not recently," Ruby admitted, though she did so cryptically.

 _'Not recently? Is she suffering from some sort of disease or some other significant problem?'_ Cinder wondered. She smiled at Ruby, adopting her best comforting smile to cause the child to ease up and let her extract more information. "Aren't you going to elaborate?" Cinder prompted.

Ruby, however, shrugged small shoulders. "Nope, not right now. Maybe later." Cinder frowned. Acting so casual was unusual for such a young child, especially if something recently occurred, like Cinder was expecting it had. Come to think of it, Ruby had hardly done _anything_ befitting a child of her age since she met her.

"You're aware that you're acting nothing like a seven year old child, aren't you?" She probed. With Ruby's hand now absent from the dish, she used her fork to roll a couple of meatballs onto her plate.

"And you don't strike me as the kinda person who'd like meatballs so much!" Ruby fired back, a deliberate grin stretching her lips. The girl, Cinder realized, had caught on to her intentions, and was trying to divert the flow of the conversation. ' _Too much cunning for a child so young,'_ she noted.

"They're cheap, and I don't exactly have much money to work with," she explained, playing along with the girl's little ploy.

Ruby tilted her head in confusion. "Don't have much money?" she echoed, mulling the phrase over in her thoughts. "I always thought a Huntress would be paid a lot, considering the nature of the job and all," she mused. Though, considering Cinder's chosen residence, maybe she was wrong? That, or the ravenette had some odd sense for aesthetics.

"Hunters and Huntresses _are_ paid very much," she answered. Ruby looked at her, her eyes asking for more information. "I told you I never received my license, yes?" Ruby nodded, recalling what she said earlier.

"So, you're some sort of unrecognized Huntress, then?" she inquired.

"Precisely," the ravenette affirmed, bringing another meatball to her mouth, signifying the end of that discussion. Ruby, however, wasn't satisfied quite yet.

"But you do the same job, right? Why aren't you paid just as much?" Cinder finished chewing her food before letting out a large sigh. It seemed the child would continue to pester her no matter what.

"Because, in the eyes of most people, the lack of a license equates to a lack of skill."

Ruby's eyes shone in understanding. "Oh, right. You can't become official without attending a training school for four years," she recalled. "But that makes no sense; why didn't you just go to Beacon, or Haven, or Atlas, or something, so that you can make more money?"

Cinder's eyes narrowed and her hands balled into fists. She was angry, but not at Ruby. The child may have caused unpleasant memories to resurface, but she hadn't known any better.

"Um, Ms. Fall? You okay?" Ruby's worried silver pools cut through her red haze. She allowed herself a deep breath and forced her body to relax.

"I'm fine," she forced out. She stared at Ruby straight in the eyes and began to speak. "Training schools are an investment," Cinder began. "Not a handout. Not everyone can afford the staggering cost of admission." She felt a small hand on her own as she gazed into the child's sympathetic orbs.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know," she whispered.

"I told you I was fine," she shook her head to clear it and continued. "The summary is, I was denied the chance to become an actual Huntress so I became something akin to a mercenary. I've never cared much for that word, though, so I've titled myself an 'Unofficial Huntress.'

"I like that better too," Ruby agreed. "Sounds much more heroic."

Cinder frowned. It seemed the child had a penchant for things such as justice and heroism. She'd need to find a way to rectify that before Ruby learned the truth. After all, what innocent little girl would desire to reside with a criminal?

"You enjoy tales of heroism, then?" Ruby nodded eagerly.

"My mom used to read to me all the time!" she exclaimed, though her expression soon turned wistful. Perhaps her mother was deceased? Or, maybe, she divorced Ruby's father and didn't want custody? Speculations were wonderful for passing the time, but she'd need Ruby to open up more before she had the chance to confirm any of her suspicions.

The conversation died off, leaving the two to finish up their meal in peace. Ruby was unusually quiet, so Cinder didn't bother to say anything either, until the meal was finished and she told the girl that she was going to wash the dishes.

After drying off her hands, she walked back into the main room to find Ruby staring blankly into space on her couch. Cinder walked over and sat down elegantly beside the child.

"I've answered many of your questions, so I believe it's time for you to answer mine in return, Ruby."

Ruby seemed hesitant to reply, but ultimately gave in. "Okay. What do you want to know?"

"What I was asking about during dinner. You seem to know too many things for your age, not to mention your grasp on language. It's too unlike anything I've ever seen, even from the children of the wealthy, who are offered the best tutors available." Cinder grimaced in distaste, but continued despite it. "Let me ask: what has made you so different from the rest?" she questioned.

Ruby went quiet. The silence in the room turned oppressive, and Cinder had to visibly strain to keep herself calm. The young girl closed her eyes, letting out a shuttering breath as she prepared to speak. When her eyes fluttered open once again, she stared at Cinder with rings of red and blue.

"I had a dream. It was a very long one. I was dreaming for two whole years! Can you believe it? Two years just spent sleeping in a bed. However, though my body was idle, my mind was active. I was a prisoner in my own mind."

Ruby took another deep breath before continuing. "I didn't spend those two years inside my body, though. I went somewhere, and I saw something."

"I saw _everything."_


End file.
